Apparatus for controlling railway track skates



April 13, 1937. J. w. LIVINGSTON I 2,077,339

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING RAILWAY TRACK SKATES Filed Oct. 14, 1933ZSheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John laLz'uz'ngstozz BY 581W- HIS A TTORNEY Aril 13, 1937. J. w. LIVINGS TON 2,077,339

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING RAILWAY TRACK SKATES Filed Oct. 14, 19 3 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Insulation INVENTOR Jolm lliLz'vz'ng szon BY QJZW Ego?111s ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1937 7 2,077,339 APPARATUS FORCONTROLLING "R PATENT OFFICE LWAY TRACK SKATES A John W. Livingston,Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to The Union Switch & Signal Company,Swissvale, Pa'., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 14,1933, Serial No. 693,615

Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for controlling railway track skates.

As is well-known, in connection with gravity or hump yards forclassifying cars it is frequent- 5 ly desirable to employ a track skateto stop runaway cars. The skate is placed on one of the track rails bymeans of suitable mechanism usually termed a skate machine, and a wheelof the car rides up onto the skate and carries it along with the car,the skate acting to stop the car by sliding the first pair of wheels andalso by virtue of the friction between the skate and the rail. Prior tomypresent invention the control of the skate machines has generally beeneffected by an operator located at a remote point, which operator wasalso required to control a large number of track switches, car retardersand other devices incident to hump yard operation. With the skatemachines controlled by an operator in this manner, it sometimes happenedthat when a car ran away, the operators attention was, at that moment,occupied with the operation of other devices under his control, or elsehe failed to see the runaway car due to his vision being cut off 5 byfog, smoke, or snow and the like, and as a result, the skates were notalways placed on. the rail when they should have been. One object of mypresent invention is to prevent such a condition from happening byproviding means for 3Q automatically operating the skate machine toplace a skate on the rail in advance of a car if the speed of the carexceeds a predetermined speed. I will describe one form of apparatusembodying my invention, and will then point out the novel featuresthereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings,Fig. 1 is a view, partly in top plan andpartly diagrammatic, showing one form of apparatus embodying myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged side and end views, respectively,of the device D shown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in all three'views.

Referring first to Fig. l, the reference character'l designates theright-hand track rail of one of the tracks in a yard for classifyingcars, over which track'traflic normally moves from right to left. Thistrack rail is supported on crossties 5 in. the usual manner, and hasassociated therewith a track skate S and a skate machine SM for placingthe skate S onto and removing it from the rail l. The skate S and skatemachine SM in themselves form no part of my present invention,

,55 except in so far as they are used in combination with the remainderof the apparatusand these parts may be of any. of the well-known't'ype's. As here shown, the skate S and skate machine SM are similar inall respects to those described in detail in Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 1,641,178, granted to Edwin G. Little, on'Sept. 6,1927, for Railway skate operating apparatus, and it is believed,therefore, that for purposes of the present disclosure the followingbrief description of these parts and their operation will be sufficient.I

The skate machine SM, as here shown, is of the electropneumatic type andis controlled by a magnet valve V. When this valve isenergized, fluidpressure is admitted to a fluid pressure motor M forming part of thedevice, which causes the piston of this motor to move from a retractedposition to a projection position. This movement of the piston istransmitted to the skate S through the medium of suitable mechanismwhich is fully described in the above-referred to Little patent, andcauses the skate to move from its inactive position in which it is shownin full lines in the drawings to an active position on the rail l inwhich it is shown in dash lines in the drawings. The skate S is providedwith a suitable channel on the underside to receive the rail and with aninclined tongue 2 overlying the head of the rail upon which tongue thetread of a car wheelis adapted to run. The tongue 2 merges into a curvedsurface 3 so proportioned as to fit the rounded surface of the wheeltread and to form an abutment against which the wheel engages. The skateS is also provided with a channel 4 to receive the flange of the wheel.When the skate occupies its active position, if a car attempts to to itsactive position, it may be returned to its inactive position bydeenergizing valve V. This operation interrupts the supply of fluid tothe fluid pressure motor M of the skate machine and connects the motorwith atmosphere. When the motorbecomes connected with atmosphere, thepiston of the motor is returned to its retracted position by a spring,and this movement of the piston acts, throughthe mechanismwhich connectsthe piston with the skate, to lift the. skate from its active positionon the rail and carry it downwardly away from the rail until the partsare returned to their original positions.

In accordance with my present invention,the

valve V is controlled by a relay R which, in turn,

is controlled by a push button P, a manually operable lever L, and a carcontrolled speed responsive contact device D. The circuit for valve Vpasses from a suitable source of current here shown as a battery Bthrough wire 6, the winding of valve V, wire I, front contact 8 of relayR and wire 9 back to battery B. This circuit is closed when and onlywhen relay R is energized, and it will be apparent, therefore, thatvalve V will be energized when and only when relay R is energized. Itfollows that the skate S will occupy its active or its inactive positionaccording as relay R is energized or deenergized.

The push button P is of the conventional type, and need not therefore bedescribed further. This push button will usually be located in oradjacent to the skate machine SMF The manually operable lever L iscapable of assuming a normal position 11. and a reverse position r, andis provided with two contacts I and II which are closed only when thelever occupies its normal position, and with a contact I2 which isclosed only when the lever occupies its reverse position.

Referring now also to Figs. 2 and 3, the car controlled speed responsivedevice D in the form here shown comprises a supporting block I5 which isrigidly bolted to the inside of the rail I some distance to the right ofthe skate machine SM, and which has attached thereto a laterallyprojecting headed pin I6. Journallect on the pin I6 is an arm I! and asleeve I8 which is secured at one end to the arm H. The arm I! is biasedby means of a spring I 9 to an upper position in which its left-hand endprojects above the head of the rail I as shown, and is so disposed thateach time a car wheel'passes the device D, the flange of the wheel willengage the arm and rotate it downwardly, thus rotating the sleeve in acounterclockwise direction. The engaging surface 20 of the arm I! iscurved as shown so that when the arm is rotated by engagement with a carwheel, the sleeve I8 will be rotated at a uniformly accelerated speedwhich depends upon the speed of the car. Thelimits of rotation of thearm are determined by a stop pin 2| which is secured to the supportingblock I5 and which extends into an arcuate slot 22 provided in the armIT. The outer surface of the sleeve I8 is screw threaded as shown, andhas mounted thereon an inertia member 23, the inside of which isprovided with screw threads which cooperate with the screw threads onthe sleeve. The screw threads on the sleeve and in the inertia memberare so arranged that if the inertia member is rotated in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 2, about the sleeve, it will move along theaxis of the sleeve toward the rail I. A spring 24 surrounds the sleevel8 between the arm I I and the inertia member, and constantly biases theinertia member to an outer position on the sleeve inwhich position astop pin 25 attached to the inertia member engages a stop lug 26provided on a stop 2! which is secured to the pin I6. A ring-shaped cam28 of insulating material is secured to the inertia member on the sidenearest the rail, and this cam cooperates with a roller 29 carried by aflexible contact finger 3B. The contact finger 3B is secured to aninsulating block 3| which, in turn, is secured to the supporting blockI5. Cooperating with the finger 30 is a fixed contact finger 32 which isalso secured to the insulating block 3I.

The finger 30 is constantly biased to a position in which the roller 29engages the cam 28, and the finger 32 is so disposed that when theinertia member 23 occupies the position to which it is biased by thespring 2 4, the contact finger 30 will be out of engagement with thecontact finger 32. With the contact device D constructed in the mannerjust described, it will be apparent that if, when a car passes thedevice D, the sleeve I8 is accelerated at a rate in excess of apredetermined rate which depends upon the proportioning of the parts,the inertia of the inertia member will prevent the inertia member frombecoming accelerated as rapidly as the sleeve, and as a result, theinertia member will move inwardly along the sleeve in opposition to thebias of the spring 24, and will thus move the contact finger 30 intoengagement with the contact finger 32, thereby closing the contact 3032.If, however, when a car .passes the device D, the

. sleeve I8 is accelerated at a rate which is less than saidpredetermined rate, the force exerted by spring 24 will be sufiicient toovercome the inertia of the inertia member and keep it in the positionin which the pin 25 engages the lug 26 of the stop member 21-, and underthese conditions the contact 30-32 will remain open. As was previouslypointed out, the speed at which the sleeve I8 is accelerated when a carwheel passes the device D is proportional to the speed of the car, andit follows that by properly proportioning the parts, the contact -32 maybe made to become closed for all car speeds above a predetermined speedand to remain open for all car speeds below said predetermined speed. Inaccordance with my present invention, the

parts will usually be so proportioned that said predetermined speed isthe highest speed at which cars can pass the device and not cause damageto the car or its contents, or to other cars and their contents, due toimpact with such other cars when the car reaches its destination on theclassification track.

The contact 3032 of the contact device D is included in a pickup circuitfor relay R which pickup circuit passes from a suitable source ofcurrent, here shown as a battery A, through contact ID of lever L, wire33, contact 30--32 of device D, wire 34, winding of relay R, and wireback to battery A. It will be apparent, therefore, that if contact 30-32of device D becomes closed when lever L occupies its n position, thepickup circuit for relay R will become closed, and relay R willbecomeenergized. As was previously pointed out, when relay R becomesenergized, valve V becomes energized and causes the skate machine SM toplace the skate S in its.

operative position on the rail I. It follows, therefore, that if a cartravelling at a speed which is higher than the speed at which thecontact SCI-32 of the device D becomes closed, passes the device D whenlever L occupies its n position, the skate machine will be automaticallyoperated to place the skate S on the rail.

When relay R once becomes energized, it is subsequently maintained inits energized condition until push button P is operated, by virtue of astick circuit which passes from battery A through wire 36, front contact31 of relay R, wire 38, push button P, winding of relay R, and wire 35back to battery A. It follows that when a skate has been placed on therail, it will remain on the rail until it is removed by the action ofthe car, and the skate machine will remain in its energized conditionuntil the maintainer operates push button P to interrupt the stickcircuit for relay B. When he does this, the resultant deenergization ofrelay B will deenergize valve V, thus causing the skate machine toreturn to its normal position.

It is undesirable that the apparatus should function when a locomotivepasses the device D,

and it is for the purpose of rendering the apparatus inoperative while alocomotive is passing the device that lever L is provided. If it isdesired to permit a locomotive to pass the skate machine at a higherspeed than the safe speed for cars, lever L is moved to its 1" position.When the lever occupies this position, the pickup circuit for relay R isinterrupted at contact ll! of lever L, and it follows that under theseconditions, relay R will remain deenergized regardless of the speed atwhich the locomotive passes the. device D, so that the skate machinewill then remain in its retracted position.

Theapparatus also includes means for indicating to an engineman when theapparatus is in proper condition to permit a locomotive to pass theskate machine. As here shown, these means include a proceed lamp C and astop lamp G which lamps will usually be incorporated in a suitablesignal located some distance to the left of the device D. Lamp C isprovided with a circuit which is closed when and only when lever Loccupies its 1' position and relay R is deenergized, and which passesfrom battery A through 30 wires 36 and 42, back contact 43 of lever L,lamp C wire 44, contact l2 of lever L, and wires 45 and M back tobattery A. It will be seen, therefore, that when the circuit for lamp Cis closed and this lamp is lighted, it is safe for locomotives 35 topass the device D, since lever L then occupies its 1 position.

Lamp (3 is provided with a circuit which is closed when and only whenlever L occupies its n position and which passes from battery A 40through wire 35, lamp C wire 40, contact ll of lever L and Wire M backto battery A. It follows that lamp C will be lighted when lever Loccupies its n position, and that when this lamp is lighted it is unsafefor a locomotive to pass 45 the skate machine.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatusembodying my invention, it is understood that various changes andmodifications may be made therein within 50 the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

55 1. In combination, a contact, means controlled by a car traversing atrack rail for closing said contact if the speed of the car exceeds apredetermined speed, means efiective when said contact becomes closedfor maintaining said contact means effective when said contact becomesclosed for automatically placing a track skate on said track rail.

2. In combination, a relay, a skate machinecontact, and a stick circuitfor said relay including said push button and a front contact of saidrelay.

3. In combination, a skate machine for at times placing a skate on atrack rail, a relay for controlling said skate machine, a first contact,means controlled by a car approaching said skate machine for closingsaid first contact if and only if the speed of the car exceeds apredetermined speed, a manually operable lever having normal and reversepositions and provided with normal and reverse contacts which are closedaccording as the lever occupies its normal or its. reverse position, anormally closed push button; a pickup circuit for said relay includingsaid first contact and a normal contact of said lever, a stick circuitfor said relay including said push button and a front contact of saidrelay, two indication lamps, a circuit for one of said lamps including anormal contact of said lever, and a circuit for the other lamp includinga back contact of said relay and a reverse contact of said lever.

4. In combination, a relay, a skate machine controlled by said relay andeffective for at times placing a track skate on a track rail, a firstcontact, means for operating said first contact if the speed of a carapproaching said skate machine exceeds a predetermined speed, a manuallyoperable contact, a push button, a pickup circuit for said relayincluding said first contact and'said manually operable contact, and astick circuit for said relay including said push button and a frontcontact of said relay.

5. In combination, a relay, a skate'machine' controlled by said relayand effective when said relay is energized for placing a track skate ona' track rail, means for energizing said relay if the speed of a carapproaching said skate machine exceeds a predetermined speed, and meanseffective when said relay becomes energized for subsequently retainingsaid relay energized until said relay is manually deenergized.

JOHN W. LIVINGSTON.

closed until said contact is manually opened, and

